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The organist, Jonathan Lee, started playing piano when he was 5 years old and then started to learn the cello. He got into the organ when there was an opportunity to take up the organ at school. His school has an electronic Ahlborn-Galanti organ and he still remembers the first time he practised on it - he just sat there exploring the different sounds for several hours. He studied at Canberra Grammar School, where he held the Ann Jory Music Scholarship, and started learning organ there in May 2014 with Philip Swanton (Senior Organ Teacher with the Australian Capital Territory Organ School and Head of Organ at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music) and Christopher Wrench. In 2015, he gained a High Distinction in his AMEB Grade 8 organ exam and passed his Associate Diploma in Music, Australia (AMusA) organ exam with Distinction. He also won both the Junior and
Intermediate sections of the Sydney Organ Competition. He is the recipient of a Canberra Grammar School Organ Music Scholarship and, since 2015, he is Wesley Organ Scholar, under the guidance of the Wesley Uniting Church's Director of Music, Calvin Bowman and under the guidance of Dr. Andrew Cichy.
Jonathan Lee then moved to the UK, as Organ Scholar at Hereford Cathedral (2019-2020) under Geraint Bowen and Peter Dyke. A prize-winner at the Northern Ireland International Organ Competition 2023 (3rd prize) and the Brian Runnett Prize Competition 2022 (1st prize), he also holds awards from the Royal College of Organists (Coventry Cathedral Recital Award, Turpin and Durrant Prizes) and the Australian Music Foundation (in 2022 Nora Goodridge Young Artist Award; and in 2023, Guy Parsons Award, which directly contributes to the living expenses of studying in Cambridge). He was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists in 2022.
Jonathan Lee continues to study with Stephen Farr, Colin Walsh, Douglas Hollick and David Briggs, and has also benefited from the tuition of Pieter van Dijk. He is currently Senior Organ Scholar at Trinity College, University of Cambridge under Stephen Layton for three years (2021-2024), where he regularly plays the renowned Metzler organ and is closely involved in the world-famous choir’s services, tours, concerts and recordings. His recording credits include Trinity’s recently-released ‘Anthems Vol.1’ on the Hyperion label. |
